Human genome research, although a young study, will soon bear fruitful results for the medical community, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Tecnology professor.
Dr. Eric Lander, director of the Whitehead Institute Genome Center, claimed biomedical research is in the midst of a “remarkable revolution” yesterday at the third annual Medical Research and Innovation State House Forum and Exhibition.
The event, sponsored by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, seeks to “help raise awareness about medical innovations” and discuss those innovations with legislators, according to MBC President and CEO Janice Bourque.
The ability to identify each specific gene in human DNA allows for scientists to take a “systematic approach to diseases,” Lander said. As scientists gain the ability to understand the fundamental mechanisms of diseases, therapies can begin to be directed at causes of the disease rather than simply at its symptoms, he said.
In addition, he said disease prevention strategies can be developed, and patients will be able to receive treatment tailored to their gene types.
Comparing genome information to the Periodic Table, Lander suggested diseases are as finite as matter. He explained there are about 35,000 known genes in a human body; further understanding of diseases is only a matter of deeper investigation.
“Cancer is not an infinite problem,” he said.
Lander said scientists will one day be able to understand diseases in terms of genetic relationships. As there is only a difference of about one letter in 1,300 from one person’s genetic code to another’s, scientists could come to understand all variations of individual genes, he said.
Lander spoke to over 50 representatives from about 25 pharmaceutical companies and non-profit organizations, all of whom came to the forum to share and exchange information.
“We participate each year to increase awareness to the legislature about the importance of research,” said Michelle Dickson, advocacy coordinator for the Central New England chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The U.S. Human Genome Project was initiated in 1990 by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health and should be completed by 2003 if it remains on schedule. The original aims of the project included identifying all the genes in human DNA, determining the sequences of the three billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA and addressing the legal, ethical and social issues that may arise from genome study.
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